Business and a Movie
by Krazi
Summary: Kea Shatsana (OC) comes from America and teams up with Seto Kaiba to help discover the missing piece that links their pasts together ...
1. Meet Kea Shatsana

Hello everyone! Welcome to my third story posted on FanFiction.net, BUSINESS AND A MOVIE. Actually, it's not my third because I've had other stories posted on here that I just eventually deleted for different reasons. Now I have THREE Yu-Gi-Oh! Stories on FF.net. This one is Kaiba/Kea (OC), but Kaiba's not in the first chapter. This is an introduction to Kea and getting to watch her make fun of Joey. ^__^ I love Joey, don't get me wrong! This chick is just a LOT like Kaiba, lol. I hope you like it, please let me know what you think! Arigatou!  
  
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Disclaimer: I'm sick of these so this goes for the ENTIRE story. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. You may proceed.  
  
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*"And in today's news, Kea Shatsana, founder and CEO of Shatsana Incorporated, arrived in Domino City from New York City just a few days ago for reasons of business! Some say that Kea Shatsana is the female version of Domino's own Seto Kaiba. What do you think, Yoshi?"  
  
"I think those people are right, Honda, she's got the same leave-me-the- hell-alone attitude Kaiba's got! Plus, they're both married to their companies! What do you think?"  
  
"I think we should go to the video."*  
  
"What kinda crap are ya watchin' now, Yug?" Joey asked as he shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth.  
  
"It's not crap, Joey, it's the news," Yugi said. "Look, there's a girl just like Kaiba who owns her own company who's coming to Domino City next week!"  
  
"Oh," Joey said. He blinked, then asked, "She hot?"  
  
"Joey," Yugi sighed, rolling his eyes. When he looked back at the screen, he saw the girl who he believed was Kea Shatsana. "Look Joey," he said.  
  
Joey obediently stopped stuffing his face and looked towards the television screen. "Wow. She is hot," Joey said plainly.  
  
The girl was tall and slim, yet curvy enough to catch attention to herself. She wore a black business suit, skirt cut a few inches above her knees, with buckled ankle boots. She had on a black trench coat, three-quarter- length and fitting at the arms, showing off the many silver bangles she kept on either wrist. Her waist-length black hair was pulled back in a simply ponytail and her large silver hoops earrings were visible, matching the expensive-looking silver chain she had on.  
  
"She's got a think for silver, huh?" Yugi said to Joey. "She really does remind me of Kaiba with that trench coat."  
  
"Yeah, and that stare dat says 'I'm gonna kill anybody who touches my damn trench coat'," Joey put it.  
  
Deciding to ignore Joey's comment, Yugi turned off the tv and said, "Come on Joey, let's go check out that new outdoor pizza place down the street."  
  
"Pizza? I'm comin'!"  
  
------------------------------AT THE PIZZA PLACE---------------------------- --  
  
Yugi and Joey had met up with their other friends at the pizza parlor, and now there was a group of teenagers laughing around a table.  
  
"Oh dear me," Bakura was saying, taking a sip of his water to calm himself down from Joey's surprisingly funny joke.  
  
"I told ya it was funny!" Joey bragged, smiling brightly.  
  
"Yeah, not like last time," Tristan joked.  
  
"Guys," Yugi and Tea said in unison as Joey and Tristan began play fighting.  
  
To immediately stop their fight, Tristan happened to look over towards the street and see a black stretch limo pulling up.  
  
"Aw man, what's creepy Kaiba doin' here?" Joey whined.  
  
"Ooh, maybe it's that new girl from America!" Tea said excitedly. "Maybe we can meet her."  
  
"Oh, I don't know, Tea, she seems a bit distant," Bakura said. "She sort of reminds me of Kaiba, now that I'm thinking about it. I wouldn't chance it with her."  
  
The conversation stopped when the limo door opened without the driver getting out. Everyone looked to the door, waiting to see who was going to get out. Surprisingly, it wasn't anyone they recognized.  
  
A tall, somewhat built teenage boy stepped out of the limo and stretched his arms. He turned around and began speaking in an unfamiliar language, then offered his hand to someone else in the limo. A small, frail-looking hand covered in silver bangles batted the boy's hand away.  
  
"That's gotta be Kea Shatsana!" some people at the tables were whispering. The boy paid no attention to the buzzing of the people and waited while the girl stepped out of the limo. It was indeed, Kea Shatsana.  
  
When she walked past the outdoor tables, gracefully following the boy in front of her, she glared at the people at the tables with a stare that easily rivaled Seto Kaiba's.  
  
"Whoa," Tristan said, turning away from Kea. "She really is like Kaiba."  
  
"I'm gonna talk to her," Joey said, never taking his eyes away from the brunette. She had sort of an exotic look to her, but not one he was used to seeing. Joey guessed that she was mixed with something. Figuring he was thinking too much of it, he stood up to talk to her.  
  
"Joey! What are you doing!" Tea cried. "Are you crazy!"  
  
"Nope, just lovesick," Yugi answered for his friend. "Come on, let's follow him."  
  
One by one, each of Joey's friends stood up and began to follow their blond friend to where she was handing the other boy money for food. Just as she put her wallet back into the inside pocket of her trench coat, she looked up and saw Joey approaching. A bit confused, she dug her deep brown eyes into his and waited for him to say something.  
  
"Hi," he said once he reached her.  
  
"Hm. Do I know you?" Kea said shortly.  
  
"Well, no, but you could if you'd give it a shot," Joey said, smiling widely. "So have you been in Domino long?"  
  
Kea glanced back at where Joey's friends were gathering behind him and said, "Three days. Now why do you and your geek posse insist on being near me? I just had this coat washed, I don't want you infecting it with something."  
  
Joey shrugged and ignored her light insult. "I figured I'd come talk to the pretty lady and I guess they decided to come follow."  
  
" 'Talk to the pretty lady'?" the boy who was with Kea mocked. "Aw man, this one's classic, Kea, keep him! Bring him back to America and show him to my mom, she'd die laughin'!"  
  
"Shuttup, twerp," Kea said, smirking a bit.  
  
Joey smiled and said, "Come on, you know your friends follow you when you go somewhere. Haven't you ever gone on a big trip with your friends?"  
  
"Hm," Kea said. "I have suits in suits following me around begging me for money, and my bodyguards will follow me into the bathroom if I didn't pay them so much."  
  
The crowd broke out laughing, but Kea's expression never changed. She looked over to the boy and said something in another language, which Bakura quickly recognized as Spanish, and the boy let her sip his soda.  
  
"Y'know," Joey began, "You're taller than I thought ya'd be when I saw ya on TV." He began looking over the girl in front of him. "Damn, you're nearly as tall as I am. How tall are you?"  
  
"5'9", and I'm wearing heels, mutt," Kea said, expressionless.  
  
Nodding, Joey said, "Oh, okay." Then realization hit him and he exclaimed, "Hey, who're you callin' a mutt! I ain't a dog!"  
  
Kea smirked, seemingly pleased with Joey's anger, and touched his chin lightly with her index finger and said, "Ya sure do have the bark for it. You probably don't got the bite to go with it, though."  
  
Joey growled angrily and took a snap at Kea's finger. She snatched it back quickly and her grin widened. "Aww, puppy needs training," she said in mock sweetness. She looked to Yugi and the others and said, "Get a muzzle for your dog," and with that, she looked back at the boy she was with and jerked her head in the direction of the limo. The boy grabbed a couple bags and began walking, Kea following short behind.  
  
"Grrrrr," Joey growled. "All I was tryin' to do was be nice to her!"  
  
"Eh, don't worry about it, bud," Tristan said, slinging an arm around his friend's shoulder. "She's a bad apple. A good-looking bad apple. A sexy bad apple. A bad apple with nice boobs. A bad apple with-"  
  
"That's enough, Tristan!" Joey said. "Jeez!"  
  
"Well, she seemed somewhat nice to me," Bakura said thoughtfully.  
  
"WHAT?!" Joey exclaimed. "She called me a dog!"  
  
"Yes, but she answered all of your questions," Bakura said. "She even added in some friendly sarcasm. It just seems to me as though she got joy out of your anger."  
  
Tea hugged her arms over herself and said, "Well, I think she'll get along with Kaiba well. I can't wait to see those two together."  
  
/Hey Yami?/ Yugi said to the spirit within his Millennium Puzzle.  
  
//Yes Yugi?//  
  
/Do you get the feeling that Kea is ... I dunno, hiding something?/  
  
//Maybe not hiding something, but I do get a strange feeling from her. And she does bear an uncanny personality resemblance to our Kaiba.//  
  
/You think I should try to talk to her again?/  
  
//I believe it would do none but good, aibou.//  
  
"YUGI!"  
  
"AH! Huh?" Yugi asked, cranking his neck to look up at his abnormally tall friend.  
  
"You zoned out again, Yugi!" Tristan was saying.  
  
"Yeah, Yugi, ya really gotta stop doin' talk in public," Joey put in.  
  
Yugi blushed slightly. "Sorry guys."  
  
------------------------------IN KEA'S LIMO ------------------------------  
  
"Those people didn't seem that bad," the boy was saying. "You didn't have to call that one kid a mutt. It seemed like you were having fun with him for a minute there."  
  
"Oh come on, Gabe," Kea said. "I call everybody a mutt." She smirked a bit and added, "It was just fun when it took it the wrong way."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Gabe said, "He sounded like he was from our neck of the woods."  
  
"Yeah, I woulda asked him where he was from if he wasn't hitting on me," Kea said, sipping a soda.  
  
"Whatever," Gabe said. "I still think you should talk to him if you see him again. I mean, I knew you were ready to start cheesin' like mad when he gave you that dorky smile and started sayin 'pretty lady'." [1]  
  
Kea let out a rare laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right, kid," she said. She studied him for a moment, then said, "You're too darn smart to be thirteen." She thought about what she said, then added, "Too darn tall, too."  
  
Gabe laughed as he went to take his order of fries out of the bag, when there was a sudden crashing sound and the limo steered out of control.  
  
Kea immediately hit the intercom button and demanded, "What is going on! Don't you have better control than that!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss Shatsana," came the reply.  
  
Gabe and Kea heard the driver's door opening and closing, causing Kea to roll her eyes and get out of the limo to see what the holdup was, Gabe following her. When she saw what happened, her jaw dropped.  
  
"You crashed my limo!" she exclaimed. "Gabe, call us another limo!" She turned back to the limo driver and loudly said, "You're fired!"  
  
Kea stopped when he thought she heard an echo on the words 'you're fired'. She and Gabe looked around until they saw a similar scene taking place with the vehicle that crashed into Kea's limo.  
  
"Kea," Gabe said. "That's Seto Kaiba."  
  
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[1] - If you're not from around my way or if you're not familiar with the kinda terms we use, when somebody's CHEESING, that means they're smiling. If you ever hear me using the term 'cheesin like mad', that means somebody's probably got a big dorky smile plastered on their face, lol.  
  
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So I finally decided to have a story where I didn't end nearly every chapter with an annoying cliffhanger that people yell at me for, lol. So this isn't all that great, I don't think; I just randomly started writing it a little while ago, but review and let me know what you think, okay? If it sucks too much I'll discontinue it since it's not prewritten. ^_^ Thanks, ja ne! *points to review button* *waves* 


	2. Discussions over Dinner

Hi everybody!! ^_^ Here's the second chapter of BUSINESS AND A MOVIE. I just wanna warn you that this chapter might skip around a bit. We go from one day to the next day to later that night and blah blah blah and the blue blue blue and the blib blib blib. So I hope you guys don't mind. Also, this is the chapter where we start linking Kea and Kaiba together in one way or another! ... heh heh heh ... I wonder if you guys will be able to figure out what I have planned for this story ...  
  
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"You crashed my limo!" she exclaimed. "Gabe, call us another limo!" She turned back to the limo driver and loudly said, "You're fired!"  
  
Kea stopped when he thought she heard an echo on the words 'you're fired'. She and Gabe looked around until they saw a similar scene taking place with the vehicle that crashed into Kea's limo.  
  
"Kea," Gabe said. "That's Seto Kaiba."  
  
"Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin', Kea?" Gabe asked, an idea forming in his head about a possible alliance with Kaiba Corporation and boosting their sales, nearly always having business on his mind.  
  
"Yeah, this jerk's paying for my smashed ride," Kea replied, beginning to walk around the back of the limo towards Kaiba.  
  
"What? ... No, Kea, wait!" Gabe exclaimed, quickly following after Kea. But her strides were long and she reached Kaiba before Gabe could stop her.  
  
"Mr. Kaiba," Kea said to get Kaiba's attention.  
  
Kaiba turned slightly and looked at Kea, recognizing her immediately as the female CEO in Domino for the week. "Miss Shatsana," he said, nodding slightly as a greeting.  
  
"I expect you'll be paying for the damages to my limo?" Kea said, more as it was a demand than a question.  
  
Kaiba snorted. "Hah, right after you make out the check for my damages."  
  
Cocking an eyebrow, Kea said, "You've barely got a dent in your little hummer there, kid, the front of my limo is SMASHED! And you're paying for it!"  
  
"I'm sure you have other limos," Kaiba said plainly.  
  
Kea sighed and forced a phony smile, sarcastically saying, "Yeah. Y'know what? I do. But I happen to like this one. So cough up the checkbook, moneybags!"  
  
"Moneybags! You're the one to talk, Miss richest-female-in-the-world!"  
  
"Oh well exc-USE me Mr. Most-successful-male-prostitute in Japan!"  
  
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"  
  
"YOU HEARD ME LOUD AND CLEAR, MUTT!"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Gabe took out a cell phone and began to call for another limo while Kea and Kaiba argued. He didn't pay much attention to the constant spewing of insults; he was used to it when Kea got angry at an immature coworker.  
  
After calling for a new ride, Gabe leaned on the black limo and watched as angry cars piled up behind the two busted limos. People were honking their horns and screaming profanity like he had never heard. It was somewhat amusing because neither CEO looked like they had any idea what was going on.  
  
"You could get in your limo and drive away right now!" Kea yelled. "I won't be able to even get this thing out of the street! And I just fired my driver!"  
  
"You're not the only one who just fired a worthless employee, join the damn club!" Kaiba yelled back.  
  
It was another few minutes until Kea's limo arrived. Gabe called Kea loudly in Spanish and told her to go. Kea stopped in the middle of screaming at Kaiba, still fuming mad. She quickly whipped out a business card from the inside pocket of her trench coat, and a pen to go with it. "You're gonna pay for these damages," Kea said as she began scribbling on the back of the card. She handed it to him and said, "Call me and we'll arrange something. If you don't call me, trust me, I will be stopping by Kaiba Corporation so you can prepare yourself for a fat American lawsuit."  
  
Kaiba snatched the card and shoved it in pocket. "I will call you, indeed," he said, "but only because YOU are paying for MY damages. He turned on his heel and said, "Good day."  
  
Kea watched for a moment as Kaiba began walking away, then softly mumbled, "I hope you fall in a manhole."  
  
-----------------------------THE NEXT AFTERNOON----------------------------- -  
  
Click, click, click.  
  
"Here's your coffee big brother," a small black-haired boy said sweetly as he walked into Kaiba's office. He placed the cup shakily on the desk as to not spill anything, then stepped back and smiled, proud of himself that not a drop ended up on Kaiba's new carpet.  
  
"Thank you, Mokuba," Kaiba said to his younger brother.  
  
Click, click, click.  
  
Mokuba tilted his head and listened to the sound that Kaiba's keys were making, seeing how his brother's eyes were glued to the screen, never once looking at the loud keyboard. Mokuba himself couldn't type half as fast as Kaiba could, and he was still staring down at the keyboard whenever he typed even a word.  
  
Shrugging off the thought of the keyboard, Mokuba sat down on the couch in his brother's office, turning on the large-screened TV to see what was on. The first thing that popped up on the screen was a shot of Kea Shatsana stepping out of her limo in downtown Tokyo for a meeting. Kaiba caught this image briefly before Mokuba changed the channel to cartoons.  
  
*I can't believe she had the audacity to challenge me,* Kaiba thought, thinking back to the previous day when Kea confronted him about her limo. He continued working on one of his latest projects for Kaiba Corp, tapping the keys at an unnatural speed.  
  
Click, click, click.  
  
The sound of the keys on the keyboard relaxed Kaiba a bit and he slouched in his chair. *She's got an attitude ...* he thought. *Hmph. I'll teach her to get an attitude with Seto Kaiba. American or not, nobody messes with me.*  
  
Mindlessly, Kaiba whipped out the business card Kea had given him earlier that day and picked up his office phone. He began dialing the digits to the cell phone number Kea had given him, then waited as the phone rang a few times. Kea's annoyed voice picked up the phone.  
  
"Who are you and what do you want, I'm busy," Kea said impatiently.  
  
"Too busy to fill out a check for limo damages?"  
  
Kea sighed heavily. "Mr. Kaiba," she said slowly. "Look, I'm gonna be civil with you right now because I've got a lot of work to do and, frankly, I don't want to waste my time and breath on you."  
  
"Hmph," Kaiba said simply.  
  
"Yes, so all I want you to do is mail a check paying for the repairs to my limo to Japanese headquarters of Shatsana Incorporated in Tokyo, and we'll be even."  
  
"What about my damages?" Kaiba asked shortly.  
  
The response was quick. "You're the richest man in the world, Kaiba, pay for your own freakin' damages."  
  
"And you're the richest WOMAN in the world, Miss Shatsana, I'm sure you can afford a few bills, as well," Kaiba shot back at her.  
  
"Well, I don't clean up messes I don't make," Kea said.  
  
"Then we've got something in common."  
  
Kea sighed. When she began speaking again, Kaiba detected a fall in her voice, as if she was letting down her tough image just a tad. "Look. Kaiba. I have a lot of work to do and I'm behind because of a meeting I missed yesterday after the limo crashed. Let me level with you. We're both responsible people and we can take care of this without name calling like yesterday."  
  
"You have a point," Kaiba said. "Although I must admit, this does sound a bit odd coming from someone who called me the best male prostitute in Japan."  
  
"Hey, it coulda been worse, I coulda called you the worst male prostitute in Japan," Kea replied. She laughed a little, and heard Kaiba chuckle a bit on the other line. "Okay, how about we meet and discuss this later. Does that sound reasonable? I'd like to discuss some other things with you, also."  
  
"Fine," Kaiba said. "This evening at 5:00. Are you free?"  
  
"Hold on, let me get my Palm Pilot," Kea said. She reached over to the dresser next to the hotel room bed and began searching through her calendar. Finding tonight's schedule, she said, "Make it 5:30 and you've got a deal."  
  
"Then 5:30 it is," Kaiba said. "Expect my new, in-tact limo to be at your hotel at exactly that time."  
  
Kea smiled at Kaiba's crack about his limo. "Good, let me give you the address."  
  
When Kea was off the phone with Kaiba, she began burying herself in her paperwork, not giving Kaiba or her old limo another thought.  
  
-----------------------------SIX O'CLOCK THAT NIGHT------------------------- -----  
  
Kea and Kaiba sat in silence at a small table in a little restaurant Kaiba was used to holding business dinners in. The setting was quiet; soft Chinese music was playing in the background as waiters and waitresses in kimonos walked around with trays in their hands.  
  
Finally, Kea sighed deeply and said, "Are you paying for my damages or not, Mr. Kaiba?"  
  
"Most definitely not, Miss Shatsana," Kaiba replied.  
  
"Call me Kea," was the response he got. Kea picked up her glass and sipped a bit of water from it, locking eyes with Kaiba for a moment.  
  
"Then call me Kaiba."  
  
"I'll call you whatever name you sign on the check."  
  
"Then you won't be calling me anything, now, will you?"  
  
Kea placed her glass down firmly and stared into Kaiba's eyes. "You don't give in, do you?" she said. When Kaiba smirked, she returned it in full. "I like it," she said. "I'm used to feebleminded monkeys running around doing everything I say, even if it's just a mindless mumble. For once I like having someone around who won't take no for an answer."  
  
"I must admit, I find myself feeling the same way," Kaiba said.  
  
Their food arrived then, cutting their conversation short. They restricted themselves from speaking and both began their meals. It was nice and peaceful until Kea felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned slightly to see who it was, only to come face-to-face with a tall, happy- looking Chinese woman.  
  
"Kea! Ni hao! Ni hao ma!"  
  
"Uh, ni hao," Kea said to the woman, surprised that she was indeed seeing who she was seeing. "I'm just fine, but please ... what are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, I'm visiting Domino for a week and I heard you were coming in to town! Why I didn't expect you see you in a fancy place like this, you'd rather be in McDonalds, wouldn't you, honey!"  
  
"Please, Mrs. Ming, not now, I'm in the middle of a business meeting," Kea said, shaking her head at the woman.  
  
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry," Mrs. Ming said, bowing slightly. She turned to Kaiba and bowed, saying, "I'm sorry, sir. I'll be leaving now, Kea, goodbye!" "Yeah, bye," Kea said dully.  
  
Once the woman was gone, Kaiba asked, "Who was that annoyingly chipper woman?"  
  
Kea half-smiled at Kaiba's description of Mrs. Ming and replied, "My old foster mother. She took care of me for a year or so in China before I moved to another house."  
  
"Foster mother? I didn't know you were in foster care."  
  
Kea nodded. "Yeah," she said. "After my parents died, they shipped me from America to Domino so I could live with my godfather, and he put me in foster care after a while. It eventually moved me to China."  
  
Kaiba remained silent after she said this. His parents had died, also, so he could understand what Kea had gone through. He couldn't help but wonder why her godfather gave her up.  
  
"My parents died, as well," Kaiba stated simply.  
  
"Ooh ... I'm sorry," Kea said, taking a moment to look at Kaiba with sympathetic eyes. "Were you put in foster care, too?"  
  
"No, an orphanage," Kaiba said. "I was adopted later. My brother and I. I wouldn't let us be split apart."  
  
Kea smiled a bit and said, "I know how that feels. After going for three years without my cousin Gabe, I had my last foster parents call the orphanage Gabe was at and make a big deal about it until they put us together under one roof."  
  
"Your cousin? Is that who he is to you?" Kaiba asked. He thought about it, then said, "Now that you mention that, I do see the resemblance."  
  
"It's in the eyes," Kea said, smiling. "I've heard it before. Yeah anyway, I've seen your brother. Before our run-in with the limos, that is. He looked very familiar and it wasn't until I had talked to him for a while that I realized it was you that he looked like. I didn't quite place all the talk about his big brother until he started talking about how"- Kea changed her voice to imitate Mokuba's-"big brother wears trench coats that look just like yours and even have the little intercom thingy that yours has."  
  
Kaiba found himself chuckling at Kea's imitation of his brother. "He's a good kid," he said.  
  
"Yeah," Kea said. Then, after a moment, she continued. "Forget about the limo, I'll pay for it myself. I was just pissed off at the time it happened, then I was persistent when I found out you weren't backing down. My apologies."  
  
The table was quiet through the rest of dinner. Once the meal was over and the two began leaving the restaurant, Kaiba said, "You said you wanted to talk to me about something else."  
  
"Huh? Oh yeah," Kea said. "I guess we'll have to meet about it later because my ride's here and I really do have a lot of work to do, still."  
  
"All right," Kaiba agreed. "Same time tomorrow?"  
  
"Yeah," Kea said, beginning to walk towards her limo. "But this time, I pick the restaurant!" She waved slightly to Kaiba and hopped in the backseat of the limo, which sped away quickly once she was safely in.  
  
Kaiba watched the limo drive off and began walking towards his own limo. *There's something about that girl,* he thought as his own limo pulled off. Taking out his laptop, he began to do run a government search on Kea Shatsana.  
  
"Files blocked," the computer spoke.  
  
Kaiba slammed his laptop shut, knowing that Kea had secured her own government files, and he didn't even bother trying to hack into it. His mind was too tired. But there was something about that girl, and he was determined to find out why he felt so connected to her ...  
  
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Tada! Chapter two. Let me know what you guys think, okay? I promise, it'll get interesting next chapter! More of Kea's past will be brought up, along with small link to Kaiba's childhood ... 


	3. An Alliance

Yo, this is terrible, I definitely haven't updated since August 2003, and here it is in February of 2004 just now getting up a new chapter on ANY of my stories. I feel bad ... so this chapter's a bit on the long side. But I'ma tell you up front, it's pretty bad. Not a lot of action. Hopefully, I'm gonna have the interesting stuff start up next chapter. But I'm SO SORRY! It's after 2am right now and I'm workin my butt off to get this posted for you guys. *sniff* And no one will care. *shrugs* Too bad.  
  
------------------------------ Disclaimer: Don't own it! And I'm still sorry it took so long ... ------------------------------  
  
"Hello, Kaiba," Kea said when Kaiba was escorted into her hotel room the next afternoon. She temporarily took her eyes away from her laptop to say, "I got a phone call from your office today confirming our dinner tonight. Very efficient, I'm impressed."  
  
"Well, I only accept the best when it comes to my company," Kaiba said. "Now, where do you plan for us to go?"  
  
Kea saved the document she was working on and shut her laptop, sliding it carefully into its protective holder and pushing it under the bed's pillow. "After yesterday when I saw Mrs. Ming in the restaurant, it started reminding me of when I was a kid, so I want to take you somewhere I used to go all the time. It was ..." Kea trailed off a little bit and then shook her head. "It's a nice place."  
  
Shrugging, Kaiba said, "Fine by me. I'm assuming that's your limo outside waiting for us?"  
  
"Ah-ah-ah, Kaiba, you should never assume things," Kea said as she put her trenchcoat on.  
  
"So if it's not your limo, then whose is it?"  
  
"I never said it wasn't my limo, I just said you shouldn't assume things."  
  
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Are we leaving or what?" he asked impatiently.  
  
Kea smirked and said, "Yes. Let's go."  
  
------------------------------TEN MINUTES LATER ---------------------------- -  
  
"And here we are," Kea said, stepping out of her limo with the help of Kaiba's hand. "My favorite place. Man, I haven't been here in years ..." She let her eyes scan over the small, run-down building as memories flooded over her. She shook it off and said, "Sorry."  
  
"Hm. I've been here before," Kaiba said, looking over the sign of the tiny diner.  
  
"Really? When was that? I don't see you as the kind of guy who would come to a place like this." Then, quickly correcting herself, Kea said, "I mean, I see you as the kind of guy in restaurants like we were in yesterday."  
  
Kaiba said, "I was here when I was younger," then jerked his head towards the door in order to skip over the subject and stop Kea from asking any more questions. Kea noticed this, and decided to ease into the questions over dinner.  
  
Things went smoothly for a while the way they had the night before. Light, useless conversation until their meal came, and silence as they ate. After Kaiba had halfway finished his plate, Kea took notice to what he was eating. It had been the favorite dish of her father before he passed away. He would always order it from this restaurant and bring it back home for her. It brought memories to her mind for a moment.  
  
"Any reason why you picked that particular dish, Kaiba?" Kea asked as she rolled some spaghetti around her fork and placed it in her mouth.  
  
Kaiba looked at Kea oddly and contemplated whether he wanted to reply or not. After taking a good look at her seemingly innocent features, he responded, "This is the only dish I've ever eaten here since my first visit when I was ten. It's habit by now."  
  
"Funny, that's the same reason why I ordered my dish," Kea said plainly.  
  
There was an awkward moment of silence before Kaiba spoke. "You wanted to discuss something with me."  
  
"Hm? Oh, right," Kea said, repositioning herself in her chair. "My lab techs have been working on new technology for our computer programming unit which resembles one of your virtual reality games."  
  
"On a computer?" Kaiba questioned.  
  
"With attachments, of course," Kea responded. "Since the programming is so similar to yours, we'd like to buy from you a portion of your patent and transfer it into our program to enhance the graphics. Would you like to see a proposal?"  
  
"Yes, please," Kaiba said instinctively, then wondered to himself why he used such a polite word. Kea didn't seem to notice or care, so he fixed the collar of his trench coat and waited for her to dig her proposal from her silver briefcase. She handed it over to him and he flipped through it.  
  
"I'll have to read this in detail and get back to you," he said.  
  
"Of course," Kea replied. "I've extended my stay in Japan for a week, so I'll be in touch."  
  
This time there was less silence between the change in subject as Kea picked up her glass and softly said, "You know, Kaiba, it feels awfully weird being here with you."  
  
Kaiba looked up and her and cocked an eyebrow. "How so?" he asked.  
  
Keeping the same tone, Kea shrugged, saying, "I don't know. It just feels like I know you from somewhere. Other than when you wrecked my limo."  
  
"You mean when YOU wrecked MY limo."  
  
Kea smiled. "Whatever," she said. Then with a sigh, she said, "I don't know. It just feels odd coming back here to Domino and being in all these familiar places. It's awkward all over."  
  
"That's right, you came to live with your godfather in Domino after your parents died," Kaiba said, recalling what Kea had said to him the night before.  
  
Kea smirked a bit. "Good memory," she nodded. "So what about you, you got any special childhood memories?"  
  
"Hmph. No," Kaiba snorted, looking back through Kea's proposal.  
  
Kea blinked a few times, then slowly said, "Or ... um ... not-so-special childhood memories?"  
  
"Better worded," Kaiba said, emotionless. "I didn't have a childhood after my parents died. Therefor I have no memories one way or the other."  
  
Nodding, Kea took a small sip from her glass. Suddenly, the tone of her voice changed and she formally said, "I didn't tell you the original reason why I came to Domino, did I, Mr. Kaiba?"  
  
Kaiba detected the change in her voice and became alert. "No," he said plainly. "Was there another reason besides your company?"  
  
"Yes, the company was simply an excuse for me to come back," Kea responded. "The proposal is a gag, don't bother reading it. I came here-believe it or not-asking for your help."  
  
Kaiba raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Reason," he stated flatly.  
  
Kea looked around the restaurant suspiciously before leaning closer to Kaiba. "I don't know anything about my past after my parents died," she said. "I went to look into my government files and get information, but they've been locked. Tight. I've been working for over a year to crack them, but I can't get through."  
  
"I thought you locked them yourself," Kaiba said curiously.  
  
Smirking, Kea replied, "Oh, so you've tried to check me out already, have you?"  
  
Kaiba realized he had caught himself in something he did not want to admit, and simply sipped his wine as Kea continued to talk.  
  
"When I was living with my godfather," Kea began, "he'd always get these strange phone calls, then get nervous and send me next door with one of the neighbors. Eventually, he got so scared for me that he put me into foster care. Three days later, he was killed."  
  
"How old were you?" Kaiba asked.  
  
"Six when my parents were killed, almost seven when-"  
  
"Killed?" Kaiba interrupted. "Who killed them?"  
  
Kea took another glance around the restaurant before saying, "That's the thing, I don't know. There's a middle man. The guy who had been calling my godfather every day. I think he was the one who killed my parents, and he killed my godfather because he knew it."  
  
There was a moment of silence before Kaiba asked, "And you want my help how?"  
  
"You're a genius," Kea stated. "I think you can get through those files. And before you ask, I want mine and not my godfather's because I already have his. If you're willing to help me, I'll show them to you. There's something in his past that leads me to believe that the man who had been calling him is related to me. But I don't have any birth records on myself, or any sort of family history. I don't even know my real last name anymore."  
  
Kaiba stared darkly at Kea for a moment, her emotionless orbs looking straight into his. After a few silent seconds, he said, "Fine. But under one condition."  
  
"Name it."  
  
Leaning forward over the table, Kaiba lowered his voice and, in a low voice, said, "I know Shatsana Incorporated specializes in advanced computer technology. I want your latest technology in the most recent models of my duel disk system."  
  
Kea narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "There's a catch."  
  
Kaiba smirked and simply said, "Don't put your company's name on it."  
  
Kea sat in silence and pondered for a moment, then quietly replied, "You help me get the guy that killed my parents and I'll not only give you my latest tech, but I'll throw in the most advanced virtual reality programming America has ever seen."  
  
Satisfied with the deal, Kaiba held his hand out to Kea. "And I'm assuming you're not going to go down easy?" he said.  
  
"You get nothing unless I get what I'm after," Kea said, stretching out her arm and shaking with Kaiba. "Now, if you're not busy tonight, I'd like to show you the files I have on my godfather."  
  
"I'm free all night. Let me call my brother and we'll leave."  
  
------------------------------IN KEA'S HOTEL ROOM--------------------------- ---  
  
"Any possible access codes you can think of? Birthdays, phone numbers?" Kaiba asked as he clicked away on Kea's laptop, trying to break the protected lock on her past files.  
  
"I've tried it all and listed them out," said Kea. "There's a document titled 'codes' that have all the access codes I've tried. They obviously all failed. Have you looked over my godfather's records?"  
  
Kaiba took a short break from the screen to look over at the manilla folder to his right. It was opened to a picture of Nicholas Swardsen, Kea's godfather. He scanned over the file for a moment before asking, "Have you scanned his fingerprints?"  
  
"In all of America's government files and all of Japan's." Kea's response was quick and she never once took her eyes off of the work she had in front of her. "No police records anywhere."  
  
"You gotta look between the lines," Kaiba mumbled before taking out his own laptop and opening numerous files and documents. He got to Japan's government database and began typing rapidly. It wasn't for another ten minutes before he stopped.  
  
"Kea," Kaiba said.  
  
"Hm?" Kea said, never drawing her eyes away from the files in front of her. She picked up a piece of old, wrinkled paper, and he eyes gazed off in thought as she looked at it.  
  
"You said your godfather's name was Nicholas Swardsen, right?"  
  
Kea looked up towards Kaiba in confusion. "Yeah, you've got his paperwork right in front of you." Kaiba scanned the words on the screen quickly as he scrolled down on the side. Then, slowly, he asked, "What about Henrik Swardsen?"  
  
The response was somewhat hesitant. "Henrik? Why?"  
  
"Henrik Swardsen, arrested in New York City in 1976 for armed robbery, no conviction. Philadelphia in 1978 for assault and battery, no conviction. Detroit, Michigan in 1981 for two counts of man slaughter. Convicted on both counts but escaped from prison in 1982." He continued to read a few more counts before Kea cried,  
  
"Stop it! Why are you looking up Henrik Swardsen, anyway?" She turned back to the paper in her hand, then murmured, "I told you my godfather's name was Nicholas."  
  
Remaining emotionless, Kaiba replied, "Nicholas Swardsen doesn't exist in the American files. At least not one who could be the age you said your godfather was. Henrik Swardsen has your godfather's birthday, and from these files, it looks like he lived in the same towns as you at the same times. Do you have the addresses of your old homes?"  
  
Kaiba waited for a response, and turned to face Kea when he didn't get one. He found her staring intently at a piece of paper in her hand, seemingly lost in thought.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"A note that Nick wrote on the day he sent me away," Kea replied quietly. "He left it on the coffee table and I grabbed it by mistake with one of my books before I left. I've been trying to figure it out for ages."  
  
Kaiba rolled his eyes. He was making an attempt to help this girl and she was reminiscing over a piece of paper. He only hoped she would get her head on straight so he could get that new technology she was talking about for his duel disks. He sighed impatiently as Kea walked over to him and held the paper in front of him.  
  
"You think you can decipher this handwriting?" she asked. "I can't make out the words, I don't read Hiragana and Katakana well. I tried working on it, but it's hard for me because it's handwritten ... I couldn't ask anyone else because for a long time, I wasn't sure who was with me or against me."  
  
Kaiba took the paper from her hands and skimmed over it. It was hard to read, and he could just barely make out the curves of the characters. But after a moment, the content made Kaiba stop in his tracks, and he stared at it blankly.  
  
"You recognize it, Kaiba?" Kea asked. "You think it means anything?"  
  
Kaiba could get no words out as he started at the paper. He slowly placed it down on the desk in front of him and softly said, "Your godfather worked for someone in Japan, and it might link to who killed him and your parents."  
  
Kea's eyes popped in confusion. "Who? Tell me! Will it help?" Her questions frantic, and she breathed unevenly as she waited for his response.  
  
Kaiba closed his eyes for a moment, then simply responded, "Crack my files and check my adoption records."  
  
And with that, he stood and shut his laptop, sliding it into his briefcase and walking out of the hotel room. Kea looked after him in confusion, again picking up the note and trying to understand the messy handwriting. In Japanese characters, written in a hurry with sloppy handwriting, the note read:  
  
CALL FOSTER CARE & ADOPTION. PHONE GOZABURO.  
  
------------------------------  
  
*face drop* I hated this chapter. But I felt terrible because I haven't updated since August. *rolls eyes at myself* I know it sucked, so if you wanna flame me, make sure you KNOW that I already think it's terrible.  
  
Oh, and I got a flame a while ago from a girl who called me a bitch and said my character was a complete Mary-Sue. Do I care? Not really. I don't put my real characters onto FF.net because with my original characters and stories, it takes too long to get into the action and people lose interest. Of course, people have lost interest already since I haven't updated in about six months ... *sweatdrop* ... but it's all gravy. R&R, por favor. 


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